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Hey everyone! Right now I'm a junior in undergrad, about to take my first sitting for the LSAT in November.

I am curious about what more experienced members of this community think about 2 separate underage drinking incidents during my undergrad. My first occurred in the spring of my freshman year, and involved a misdemeanor charge for underage drinking which was later dismissed after a year of good behavior and community service, as well as disciplinary probation with the school. The second incident occurred in the fall of my sophomore year and did not involve the police but resulted in disciplinary probation again.

I have seen people suggest that one minor underage drinking incident is not a big deal, but how bad is it when there are two? How should I best portray that in an addendum? Write two separate or group them together? Certain things I should express?

I don't want to reveal too much identifying information but I have a fairly high GPA (3.8-3.9 range) and will hopefully score around 165-170 (but of course I do not have any actual score yet). I am not trying to go to a T14, but hopefully a T50 with some scholarship $$$. I know that no one can know what admissions will think, but any opinions or advice would be great!

This won't matter. Write (one!) short addendum saying that you were charged with a misdemeanor and placed on academic probation twice. You don't need to give details about where/when/why. Then say it was a mistake and that you've had no further issues.

@Pneumonia Thank you for your response! That makes me feel much better. I am also likely taking a gap year, which I'm hoping would distance myself even further from the underage drinking issues of undergrad. Thanks!

ikelley wrote:I am curious about what more experienced members of this community think about 2 separate underage drinking incidents during my undergrad. My first occurred in the spring of my freshman year, and involved a misdemeanor charge for underage drinking which was later dismissed after a year of good behavior and community service, as well as disciplinary probation with the school. The second incident occurred in the fall of my sophomore year and did not involve the police but resulted in disciplinary probation again.

I have seen people suggest that one minor underage drinking incident is not a big deal, but how bad is it when there are two? How should I best portray that in an addendum? Write two separate or group them together? Certain things I should express?

Law schools and state bar associations (all) accept people with (gross) misdemeanors on their records, but they can (and likely will) reject someone that appears likely to make the same mistake(s) in the future. Your two incidents occurred relatively recently, so you should frame your personal statement around an "awakening" of some kind. Whether it be maturity (unpersuasive, given that your incidents occurred within the last 3 years), sage advice, learning a life lesson, or experiencing anything else, focus your (single) addendum on why/how that experience led you to "change your ways."

I'm also concerned by two incidents in succession. Do you still consume alcohol? I worry that a third incident, for example during law school, could cause real trouble at C&F.

The Bar in most States is acutely aware of the prevalence of alcohol and drug problems amongst lawyers and I would absolutely expect to be questioned about these incidents by the committee.